Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 75 The Progressive Concubine Liu Yi
The two of them cautiously walked over to the monitor, knowing they were going to be picked on again.

Lu Kuan first had two folding chairs brought in so that they could sit down and watch his performance.

The so-called "keeping one line" means that this line can be used barely, and then give the actors more room to perform.

Lu Kuan did this as a psychological strategy.

The purpose is to tell the two that they already have a guaranteed performance and can play more freely and enter a more relaxed state of interpretation.

This strategy is more stress-relieving for new actors, and for veteran actors like Feng Yuanzheng, it allows him to perform in a different way, providing the director with more ideas for shooting and editing.

"You two, to be honest, this one is fine, but I think your potential is far greater than this."

Lu Kuan continued to explain the play to him in detail.

"Jaylen, your lines need to have rhythm."

"For example, in the line 'There will only be one outcome,' you must follow Yu Yan's rhythm and emotional fluctuations. Don't just pour it out like you're reciting a poem or memorizing something."

This is a common mistake made by new actors. The reason why there is such a thing as rival acting is because actors need to give each other the rhythm.

If someone like Jay Chou seems to want to throw out all his lines like he does in Nunchucks, the performance will lose its interactivity and vitality.

Anyone who has played football knows that new players or novices feel that the ball is too hot for their feet on the field.

Because they are afraid of making mistakes, after receiving the ball, they pass it quickly and safely with the mentality of being cautious and not making big mistakes, just like a novice actor like Jay Chou who recites his lines in one go.

"Good director."

Feng Yuanzheng watched Lu Kuan's guidance of Jay Chou and Liu Yifei in the waiting area and nodded secretly, although these scenes were relatively simple and could not fully reflect Lu Kuan's level of acting instruction.

However, the fact that he was able to gradually lead the young superstar who had never been exposed to acting onto the right path and make him move forward and work hard in the right direction of performance reflects Lu Kuan's rich experience in the crew and his ability to train new actors.

He was very confused, how could such ability appear in a novice director?

In other words, Feng Yuanzheng still didn't know Lu Kuan's identity as a Taoist priest before he changed his job, otherwise he would have the same doubts as Zhang Jizhong and others.

The show continues.

"Because I want to be better." Jay Chou felt a little sorry when he saw Liu Yifei's expression, but he had to continue.

"Aren't you good enough?"

“I want to be the best!”

Next came Liu Yifei's long lines and key scenes. Lu Kuan asked Ning Hao to give a close-up at an off-angle angle, without putting her face in the center of the screen.

This is a kind of camera language for a dialogue between two people. The close-up from the side angle clearly shows Liu Yifei's delicate face and straight nose.

Lu Kuan sat in front of the monitor and watched her performance closely. At this time, Liu Yifei's micro-expressions and lines, and even the slight tremor in her speech were very crucial.

Why do people always say that there is a chain of contempt from movie actors to TV actors?

There are too many close-up shots in the movie. It is difficult for an actor who has not received formal acting education and does not have rich acting experience to avoid mistakes in such close-up shooting.

Take Liu Yifei for example. The tremor in her voice, the flickering eyes, and even the slightly rolling throat, all of these will become key elements for the actors in the movie to express emotions and advance the plot.

This kind of expression requires extremely high levels of facial control, line delivery, emotional expression, and performance accuracy from the actor, which is far beyond the reach of TV drama shots.

Concubine Liu Yi seemed to be trying to make a final struggle: "Are you so sure that with me, you can't succeed?"

"Are you so sure this is an established fact?"

Jay Chou said without hesitation: "That's right."

Concubine Liu Yi took a deep breath, her throat rolling slightly, as if she wanted to swallow the sadness into her stomach.

"Even though I hardly see you, you're always indifferent when I finally see you." "Because I'm a girl who doesn't know what I want!"

Concubine Liu Yi's tone suddenly became intense, as if she wanted to release all the grievances she was feeling at the moment.

"You have ideals and you can succeed, but I will just be forgotten. That's why you won't have time to accompany me because you have greater aspirations."

Jay Chou was infected by her emotions and said with reluctance: "Yes, that's what I want to say."

"Are you sick?" Concubine Liu Yi completely exploded, then wiped away the tears that fell: "You are right, we should not be together anymore."

She turned around, picked up her bag and left the cafe, leaving Jay Chou alone feeling lost.

"Very good! Passed!"

"Snap, snap, snap, snap!"

Lu Kuan was the first to applaud, nominally in recognition of the two people's performance, but more in recognition of Liu Yifei's progress.

This part of the performance is not difficult, and the character's action chain is also very simple, but it requires a high level of emotional progression from the performer.

At last, he is not a rotten wood anymore, and he is finally starting to understand.

Lu Kuan called the two of them to the monitor and asked them to watch their performance. He also commented and praised the little girl:
"Xiao Liu's performance was truly excellent this time, from the stunned expression after Xu Huan opened his mouth, to his attempts to salvage the situation midway through, to his final outburst of questioning, and to his tearful departure."

"The layers are clear, and the interaction between his eyes and movements with Jaylen is just right. He has made great progress."

Liu Yifei said excitedly: "Thank you, director!"

She raised her eyebrows at Liu Xiaoli beside her, and her cute and lively look was so adorable.

Looking at her smug expression, Lu Kuan joked, "Aunt Liu, Xiao Liu must have had a premature love affair, otherwise she wouldn't have adjusted the rhythm of this breakup scene so quickly."

"Impossible, I didn't, you're talking nonsense!"

Liu Yifei quickly denied it three times, making everyone laugh.

Everyone relaxed, it was a good thing that these two ancestors were photographed, otherwise everyone would have starved to death today!

As both of them were in good shape, the afternoon shoot went very smoothly.

Concubine Liu Yi had few scenes to begin with, and Lu Kuan put her scenes at the front as much as possible, so that the filming could be completed earlier and she wouldn't have to waste time on the crew.

When it was time for dinner in the evening, Lu Kuan received his lunch box and ate in the studio. Liu Xiaoli couldn't resist her daughter, so she followed her.

"Lukuan, you eat this of mine!"

Concubine Liu Yi looked at Lu Kuan wolfing down the food and passed her chicken leg to him.

Lu Kuan was concentrating on reading the script while eating, without even raising his head.

He said "thank you" to Concubine Liu Yi and started eating with big mouthfuls, without any sense of humility at all.

Seeing her daughter being so unassuming, Liu Xiaoli quickly stopped her and said, "Xixi, why are you giving someone else your used chopsticks? Director Lu must be disgusted with you. Just eat your own."

Boss Lu smiled and said, "It's okay, Aunt Liu. Little Liu has grown up and knows how to bribe his superiors."

Liu Yifei said proudly: "I feel that I have made progress today, I am very happy!"

The first time I joined the crew of "Gold Powder", the shooting rhythm was not normal at all.

This week's daily interactions allowed her to see up close how a talented young director commanded with such confidence, how he explained the script to the actors, and how he convinced the lighting and photography staff at Qingying Studio.

When the girl took off the filter that filtered Lu Kuan's "not fond of washing hands" from her eyes, she found that this lecherous director was indeed quite talented apart from that thing!

(End of this chapter)